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Road race, redefined.

Road bikes and plush suspension aren't things you usually think of pairing, especially in a race bike, but when one of the world's most dominant teams wants a bike to soften the spring classics cobbles you start thinking outside the proverbial road racing box. Enter the 2017 Pinarello Dogma K8-S Road Frameset, the result of a collaboration between Pinarello and the same group of Jaguar supercar engineers who helped design the venerable Dogma F8. Steeped in Pinarello heritage and boasting a unique rear suspension, the K8-S sets a new bar for rough-road performance.

Pinarello again relies on Japanese carbon fiber supplier Toray for the K8-S frame's material. It features Torayca T1100 1K Dream Carbon with Nano-alloy technology, which is the same material used in the Dogma F8. While the name is certainly impressive, its application is even more so. T1100 1K is the current go-to outer skin for many modern aircrafts, and its stiffness-to-weight ratio is nothing short of stunning. But weight, of course, is only a slice of the Dogma equation; tube shaping also plays a vital role in the bike's handling and overall efficiency.

Starting at the front of the frame, Pinarello utilizes its Onda fork and adds slightly more rake than the F8's front end for a hint of additional compliance and stability. As with the F8's front end, the Onda fork is inspired by Pinarello's TT-specific Bolide, with an optimized surface profile that effortlessly manages airflow from the front wheel. The blades describe a somewhat convex shape, which Jaguar's engineers say keeps air attached, reducing the size of the wake without creating too large a frontal zone.

The front triangle closely mirrors the shape and aerodynamic profile of the Dogma F8. Pinarello incorporates its signature FlatBack technology with oval-front and flattened-back tubing throughout the frame and fork for an aerodynamic profile that slices cleanly through the wind without any extra materials bogging down the scale. As an extra touch, an integrated seat clamp and FlatBack seatpost add to the wind-cutting advantage.

All similarities to the F8 quickly disappear as you move to the rear triangle, with the K8-S featuring a markedly different layout out back than the F8. Most noticeably, a small elastomer suspension system, dubbed the Dogma Suspension System 1.0, sits at the seatstay junction to provide up to 10mm of plush cushion to smooth out bumpy roads and cobbles without sapping away power. Pinarello is understandably secretive about the final shape and mix of the elastomer, but it claims that this system effectively dampens vibrations without experiencing excessive movement when riders dump watts into the pedals. The chainstays and seatstays on the K8-S have also been flattened compared to the F8 to provide additional compliance over the bumps while maintaining lateral stiffness.

At the bottom bracket junction, Pinarello sticks with its proven Italian-threaded shell, a design choice it stands by for both reliability and overall rigidity. Additionally, the extensive CFD testing revealed that lowering the seat tube water bottle mounts results in less drag. Because of this, Pinarello incorporates three holes on the seat tube and down tube for two bottle mounting positions.

Pinarello's asymmetric design philosophy is ever-present in the Dogma K8-S, as its engineers again restudied the forces in action as a rider stands on the pedals, pulls on the handlebars, and muscles the bike through corners. FEA (Finite Element Analysis) confirmed that the asymmetrical design was beneficial in leveling the variances in frame deflection from one side to the other, which is why the K8-S' tubes have been arranged in a similar layup to better balance drive-side forces.

As with the F8, carefully engineered internal cable routing on the new K8-S lets you choose between either mechanical or electronic shifting systems without any penalty to the bike's aesthetics or aerodynamic profile. The K8-S features interchangeable cable stops at the frame openings that are capable of being intuitively swapped out should you select different drivetrains throughout the life of the frame.

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wish i could marry it

Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

living in florida im able to ride year round, which i consistently do. prior to this, i was riding the precursor to the dogma-K, the pinarello KOBH. after putting 15,000 miles on my KOBH the last two years, i was ready to make a change. the KOBH was a fixture in the european classics pro scene in 2013 and 2014. and the dogma k8-s was launched in 2015 and has made appearances in the classics and le tour. what a difference a year makes. it took less than one hundred yards on the K8-S to realize that it is a very special bike. the KOBH is a really, really good bike. the K8-s is greatness. the marriage of an essentially F8 front triangle with a softail is utterly brilliant. and the rear shock is not noticeable under load but it really soaks up the chatter and road imperfections. handling is razor sharp and incredibly precise. yet the bike is also more comfortable and less fatiguing. it is noted that i have a very bad back, which led to the purchase of the KOBH in the first place due to its more relaxed geometry and less stiff fiber than the dogma. Now i have nearly all the performance of an F8 with a bike that is even more comfortable than my old KOBH. lighter, more aero, and more forgiving. tangentially, i got more comments and questions in the first two weeks that i rode the dogma K8-s than in the two years and hundreds of hours i spent on the KOBH. the bike is astounding. i'm a harsh critic and have been labeled a chronic malcontent. i do not have a single negative thing to say about the k8-s. it is worth every penny. i smile every time i look at it and there are times when i am literally laughing when i am riding it, the experience is so wonderful. it's motivating. it's emotive. i'm faster than a lot of people i ride with, most of which i attribute to this bike and the sick reynolds wheelset i have attached to it.